After defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-10, 0-9 Big Ten), the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team (4-11, 1-11) ended their 12-game losing streak against conference opponents. Wisconsin looks to continue their momentum as they travel to College Park to take on No. 10 Maryland (12-2, 8-1) Thursday, Feb. 4.
Wisconsin moved out of last place in the Big Ten standings and ended their losing streak of 11 conference games dating back to last season before defeating Illinois, another winless team in the conference. The scoring duo of forward Imani Lewis and guard Sydney Hilliard led the Badgers, and the two combined for 40 points in the win.
Carrying this momentum into Thursday’s game will be important if the Badgers want to beat Maryland, who has only lost one conference game this season to Ohio State (10-2, 6-2).
Women’s Basketball: Badgers win first conference game in 17 tries, take down Illinois
Wisconsin’s previous game against Maryland this season ended in a well-fought 79-70 loss. The dynamic duo of Hilliard and Lewis shined in this matchup as Hilliard led the game with 19 points and Lewis hauled in an impressive 14 rebounds. Lewis and Hilliard, as well as sophomore Julie Pospíšilovà, have continued to perform well this season and will play a huge part in offensively and defensively outplaying the Terrapins.
The Badgers will need to defend against Ashley Owusu, a sophomore guard that leads Maryland with an average of 19.4 points per game. The Badgers defended well against Owusu in their previous matchup against the Terrapins, holding the star guard to a dismal 3-for-13 shooting. Owusu is a crucial part of the Terrapins’ success and Maryland’s record is 12-2 when the team scores over 76 points.
Overall, the Badgers have not had the conference season they desired, but a combination of minimizing turnovers, continuing to rebound the ball and keeping energy up on the court and on the bench will help guide Wisconsin to another win.
Women’s Basketball: Badgers lose 10th consecutive game after a disappointing second half
Tip-off from College Park is 3 p.m. and you can watch the women’s basketball team live on the Big Ten Network or listen to the game on U 100.9 FM radio.
